India's defence arsenal expands as BrahMos production unit and key military projects set for inauguration in Lucknow today
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Amid rising tensions with Pakistan, a major boost to India's defence capabilities is set to take place in Lucknow today. The BrahMos missile production unit , built at a cost of Rs 300 crore, will be officially inaugurated at the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor This new facility will produce the BrahMos, one of the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world. With a range of 290 to 400 km and a top speed of Mach 2.8, the missile can be launched from land, sea, or air. It follows a 'fire and forget' mechanism and is developed by BrahMos Aerospace , a joint venture between India and Russia.Along with the manufacturing unit, the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility will also be launched. This facility will help in testing and assembling the missile systems, an official statement said.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend the event in person, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will join virtually from Delhi.Several other defence projects will also be opened during the event. One of them is the Titanium and Super Alloys Materials Plant , also known as the Strategic Materials Technology Complex. It will produce top-grade materials used in aerospace and defence.In addition, the foundation stone of the Defence Testing Infrastructure System (DTIS) will be laid. DTIS will help in testing and certifying defence equipment and products.The BrahMos production unit has been completed in three and a half years and is spread across 80 hectares of land, which was provided free of cost by the Uttar Pradesh government The Defence Industrial Corridor in Uttar Pradesh was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. It has six key locations: Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, and Chitrakoot, and is aimed at making India more self-reliant in defence manufacturing.Uttar Pradesh is the second state in India, after Tamil Nadu, to establish such a corridor, the statement added.Inputs from PTI
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